I guess this may be where “street smarts” come in. It’s a very gut level and instinctual thing. You just know when someone is up to no good. It’s a base thing, even animals can spot predators, use “camoflage”, and plan escape.
A very different skill set than trying to get a date or excelling at workplace politics or whatever. Stuff that consists of a bunch of complex social rules.
Plus my dad, who grew up in a rough environment, has trained me since a kid on what to watch out for.
Would you say that there are different “classes” of homeless people? Like maybe the completely destitute on one side, and families with working parents who just lost their house on the opposite? How do you see you fitting in to that hierarchy, if there is one?
What’s your social circle like? Do you have homeless friends? What about non-homeless friends – do they know of your situation? What do they think about it?
Feel free to gloss over this question if it is too personal, but you mentioned chaos at home – do you have issues with depression, bipolarity, or similar things? If so, do you think that your choice to live outside of a home is influenced by that?
No, I’m too new. I won’t be surprised if some of the people I work with are vagrants too. I know about half of my co-workers don’t even have a car. The guy who hired me said he was about to do anything to get money, before he started working here. In other words there would be no judgments if they were to find out.
Now my boss from a previous job saw me sleeping in my car. I was reclined as he pulled into the garage and he looked at me oddly. He acted strange for about a week, and then he laid me off. I really hope that wasn’t related to him seeing me sleep in the garage. That would really suck.
Is it hard 2 live in the wilderness?
I think I’d really be interested in what your job is, you say it’s non traditional full time. That confuses me. Also that you wouldn’t be surprised to find some of your fellow employees might homeless too. That makes me curious as to what job this might be. Can you give us some kind of hint at least?
You’re the one bragging on how successful you are at being vagrant, after all. But it doesn’t seem to jive with having a hard time keeping a job because of it, can you explain it more?
Huh. The homeless don’t have complex social rules? Street smarts are not complex social rules?
I spent most of my teens hitch-hiking and bumming around the U.S. and Canada. (Mostly in the 70s.) I certainly do not agree that life in the mainstream has any more complex social rules than in the homeless. Just different.
This puzzles me a bit. So your boss, the one who hired you, told you that he was so desperate for money prior to his employment there that he would “do anything”. Was he inadvertantly giving away his secret to ‘climbing the company ladder’? 
I don’t either. I’ve talked to guys who will give lengthy expositions describing the ins, outs, ups, downs and sideways of social organization within a particular area where a lot of people live on the street or in parks.
I avoid interacting with other vagrants at all costs (some go out their way to seek me). So I guess there may be a system of complex social rules among them. I just don’t know them. What I’m referring to is that I am always watching my back for predators, nosy cops, nosy employees at the places I hang out, etc. I make sure I’m alert to their body language and eye contact.
There is as much as diversity among vagrants as there is among people with homes. People are homeless for various reasons, and they cope with it in various ways, and with varying levels of success.
I don’t have depression, bipolar, or schizophrenia. I do however have a mental health diagnosis that shares some symptoms as bipolar - such as poor impulse control, risk taking behavior, and overactivity. These sort of things made certain jobs nearly impossible to succeed in. Fortunately at my new job, I don’t have to be still and concentrate too deeply
I’m also not watched.
I’m an independent contractor. Search for those type of jobs on craigslist and that would be a hint.
So you’re an escort?
If you know you have some sort of mental issue that is preventing you from keeping a steady job, why do you not want to get professional help? Is it just a money thing?
What’s your degree in? Is your job an extension of your college education?
I do. Have been for years. I am prescribed medication. I don’t take it every day because of the side effects. Even when I do take the meds it doesn’t help me 100%. and when I’m sleep deprived the medication doesn’t work at all.
Also, it was highly recommended by my doctor that I find jobs that suit me. Unfortunately many of them are not available to me.
It would seem to me that finding a safe place to get a reliable amount of sleep every night would likely be a higher priority than student loans and hospital bills? If you can get the meds working and be more functional, then ultimately your financial situation should improve more.
My university is currently having a problem with the younger homeless (under 30) using our facilities. It’s simply not that unusual to find someone sleeping in the library (or in a classroom, especially a large lecture hall). Clothing is not a reliable indicator, nor is body odor.
What’s your diet like? And, how fit are you? i imagine one of the few benefits of vagrancy is that always being on your feet has to be good for the waistline. Just trying to stay positive about what sounds to me like a bad situation. Seriously, is there no job that you can find that doesn’t involve independent contracting?
I hope you at least have a pre-paid cell phone for emergencies.
So she is an escort? I am confused.
I get the impression that you are, at least to some degree, enjoying “the life,” and that’s why you started a Q-and-A thread in which you don’t come off as particularly motivated to change your living situation anytime soon. Is that an unfair appraisal?
I’m curious about the basics of life. You’ve talked about sleeping, but:
What/where do you eat?
How do you manage bathing?
I assume you use laundramats to care for clothes.
What about, er, toileting needs?
What kind of car are you living in? I mean, regular sedan, SUV, van, miniwagon? From the outside, does your car look like any other car, or is it packed full with your clothes/supplies/whatever?